googly-eyed stubby squid | nautilus live

the team spotted this stubby squid off the coast of california at a depth of 900 meters (2,950 feet). the stubby squid (rossia pacifica) looks like a cross between an octopus and squid, but is more closely related to cuttlefish. this species spends life on the seafloor, activating a sticky mucus jacket and burrowing into the sediment to camouflage, leaving their eyes poking out to spot prey like shrimp and small fish. rossia pacifica is found in the northern pacific from japan to southern california up to 300m, but in addition to our sighting, researchers at the monterey bay aquarium research institute (mbari) have spotted them at depths of 1,300 m (4,260 ft).

e/v nautilus is exploring the ocean studying biology, geology, archeology, and more. watch http://www.nautiluslive.org for live video from the ocean floor. for live dive updates follow along on social media at http://www.facebook.com/nautiluslive and http://www.twitter.com/evnautilus on twitter. for more photos from our dives, check out our instagram @nautiluslive.